In this documentary, broadcast on the seventieth anniversary of the D- Day landings, historian James Holland reassesses the significance of the event, refocusing on its aims as well as looking at the extent to which both sides were prepared. As a military specialist, Holland is most interested in the strategies planned by each side as well as looking at the weaponry available. Although trying his best to be even-handed, it is inevitable that he should adopt a pro-Allied perspective, claiming (for instance) that their weapons were far more suitable for the conflict at hand than the more cumbersome German machinery. Through interviews with military experts, Holland traces the progress of the overall campaign, focusing particularly on the days after the D-Day landings, so as to determine whether the campaign was 'successful' or not. The disadvantage of a military-historical approach to the material is that the human element gets squeezed out; we hear little, for instance, of the sufferings experienced by ordinary soldiers as they waded through deep water to reach the Normandy beaches, or endured perpetual barrages of gunfire from the Nazi defenders. The historians tend to look at events in purely strategic terms, rather than focusing on social consequences - as a result, the program seems rather one-sided in tone. Perhaps less attention ought to have been given to the experts and more to those veterans from both sides who are still alive to tell the tale of what happened.
